442 - Dragonforce

Hi all

This will be the post for the tactic evolution of 442 DragonForce, a sucessfull tactic in FM2018. I already recreated and corrected some issues, and now have a full working tactic base for FM2019. Same tactic system. It's a solid tactic, based on the real life Sergio Conceição tactics at FC Porto, with some adjustments for FM. Expect to score goals and to have a solid defense.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Let your Assistant take care of all. You must trust him for training, etc. Just don't let him take care of OI's.Don't use OIS. Assistant can now handle tactic briefings in FM19, no problem at all.
About wide midfielders on Right Side better if have preferred Right Foot, and same for the Left Side.If you got a player sent off, take out the MCL/Advanced Playmaker position, you will be able to keep a good gameplay and even score. Don't take out any forward. Just take the CF if you're on bad day and got two players sent off.

Just let things stable and the tactic will became fluid and the results will come.

Not tested yet on underdog teams, but if anyone wants to try it, probably better to use Positive Mentality instead of Attacking.
Set pieces have some work to do, so they are not set in the tactic.
If anyone find nice set pieces for the tactic, please share it.

ADVANCED FORWARD & FALSE NINE442 DragonForce Attack - F9 & ADF @ FM19.fmfSome changes to recreate last season forwards interation and to make the tactic suitable for more teams. So, I removed the Complete Forwards since they aren't easy to find for all clubs, and replaced them por an ADF and a F9. Nice partnership and it seems now to be like last FM. Tactic also becomes fluid instead of flexible. Also changed SK to defensive role, and made him distribute the ball to the full backs.

Ok I understand about not letting AM doing OI's, why not tactical briefing?

In FM2018 I always skiped tact brief. because I always noticed the players tactical behavior was not the usually expected. It seemed to me IT could surpass tactical instructions. But, honestly, did not tested yet on FM2019. Maybe later

I haven't extensively tested the tactic, but for the first few games i have it looks to be working well.

Important notes: It needs some time for the players to get familiar with it, obviously. On that note, you also need the right players in the right place, more or less. I think it is important for the tactic to have some very good players on key positions. Meaning, both WM and the AP i find are more important than the other positions for this tactic. You need WM's with high Work Rate AND Teamwork, that also are creative.

It's still way too early to say anything more but overall it looks that it has potential. I love 4-4-2 tactics, so i'll keep working with this one. Thanks for sharing.

Lastly about the "no tactical briefing", as weird as it sounds (and i do not know the exact impact yet), it feels that is actually ok to not put any. Weird..

Could you give a good list of wide midfielders cause almost all players that I tend to find do not always have the ability to play the roles

Just retrain them to that role. Any AM R/L would do. They just need to have some familiarity with that position.

For example, BvB is perfect for this tactic. Reus, Sancho, Larsen, Wolf and Pulicic are optimal in those WM roles. Another example is a West Ham save and an Arsenal save i have for "scientific experimentation" because those teams do not have the needed players for those roles. Yet after the team gets familiar with the tactic it starts to perform well. Of course it's far more efficient with teams that already have those players, BvB as i mentioned, Bayern Leverkusen can be good too and so on.

I have multiple saves testing it and the key is the same as in any other tactic honestly...Start a save and from early pre-season focus on this tactic (select it as Primary for training) and let the team get familiar with it. Even if you see some not so good results in friendlies don't worry. Then just re-train your players to those roles.

What i mean is, if you have a player that has the right attributes for that role, even if he is not familiar with the role at all, it should work just fine. I had Kagawa as PressFrw Support and he performed well for example. Same for Anderson on West Ham as Left WM on Att.

Personally i think this is an issue that should be resolved by now in FM...an AM R/L in Real life is also quite efficient at wide mid positions from the get go. It shouldn't take so much time to re-train someone in position/role so close/familiar to what he already plays. Sure some players are more versatile than other but it's not that you ask from every player to play a completely different position, like Delph going from a Midfielder to Left Back (InvWB) or something.

Anyway, gl

EDIT: All you need to remember is that any tactic that has some form of Gegenpress needs high Work Rate players. High teamwork is also a +. This tactic doesn't have Counter and Counter Press ticked, so it is not so important, yet the WM role is demanding and ticks those attributes.

Will give it a go with my Malmö FF team! Will use attacking mentality in league and in CL i will use Positve mentality as i will be heavy underdog
Should the wingers be right on right or right on left?

Will give it a go with my Malmö FF team! Will use attacking mentality in league and in CL i will use Positve mentality as i will be heavy underdog
Should the wingers be right on right or right on left?

Right Side/Right Foot & Left Side/Left Foot

With this schema they perform better, but if you don't have those kind of players, it will not be a big deal.

But just tried some changes to recreate last season forwards interation and to make the tactic suitable for more teams. So, I removed the Complete Forwards since they aren't easy to find for all clubs, and replaced them por an ADF and a F9. Nice partnership and it seems now to be like last FM.
The tactical theory is that F9 will push Central Defender a bit forward so there will be more space for the ADf to escape from the other defender to score. Also F9 will help midfield distributing game to flanks and ADf, this action will provide also space for the F9 to score, so that it will pass the ball and will receive it later out of marking, scoring a lot too. At March 15th Aboubakar already have scored 39 goals in 40 games. So the score is very high.

Tactic also becomes fluid instead of flexible.

Also changed SK to defensive role, and made him distribute the ball to the full backs.

But just tried some changes to recreate last season forwards interation and to make the tactic suitable for more teams. So, I removed the Complete Forwards since they aren't easy to find for all clubs, and replaced them por an ADF and a F9. Nice partnership and it seems now to be like last FM. Tactic also becomes fluid instead of flexible.

Also changed SK to defensive role, and made him distribute the ball to the full backs.

Do you have any tips about what to do against teams that play defensive with a deep 4-2-2-2, deep 4-1-4-1 or deep 4-2-2-1-1? seem
to have problem scoring against them, even though i crush them playing and stat wise
This is me playing with manchester united

Don't have that problem with Malmö though, but thats probably due to in the league i'm just to good and in CL they play attacking
and i just crush them on the counters

Do you have any tips about what to do against teams that play defensive with a deep 4-2-2-2, deep 4-1-4-1 or deep 4-2-2-1-1? seem
to have problem scoring against them, even though i crush them playing and stat wise
This is me playing with manchester united

Don't have that problem with Malmö though, but thats probably due to in the league i'm just to good and in CL they play attacking
and i just crush them on the counters

Think version with 2 CF is best in that case, but I'm trying to improve tactic yet and making more tests. More news I'll post here soon